Africa 24 news

Freetown is a little city that is lately being affected by criminals and gangs at night hours.

There have been overwhelming complaints of some unknown gangs going on a rampage stealing people’s valuables.

A civilian who resides at around Shell old road in the east of the capital had had a bad experience that he shared with us.

“We saw some men dressed in black and were holding matches and guns yester night. We are so afraid since they shouted at us in terror telling us to go out. It was really terrifying for my family and I,” says a man.

He relayed us this strange piece of information at a time when the country had a misfired ‘coup attempt’.

And it is a month ago now since November when he told us of that news.

People at Quarry community by Manfred Street around Up-gun had also secretly told us about some clandestine operations going on at mid-night hours.

They said they had been seeing some armed men arresting other men and got them killed.

Abdulai Kamara, who faintly saw from afar such scaring occurrences of shooting-armed men, seemed very worried about the status quo in the country.

He wished that our security officers, the police, keep on check the metropolis for peace and stability to prevail.

“My friend we are not safe in this country. We are bordered by those prisoners who escaped from the Pandemba Road Prison on Sunday November 26 [2023]…I tell you with fact that some stealing and killing are happening at night hours.”

Kamara could not confirm who were the ones killed at a particular November night hour as he could not identify the shooters from a distance.

Apart from those night killings, there are people who are complaining of too much stealing and robbing happening in their various communities.

Many residents in places where power cuts are regular have told us that thieves and robbers use that as opportunity to ransack homes since those places are frequently dark.